Call for Papers

“From Pharaohs to Geoinformatics” has been selected as the overall theme of the first joint conference of FIG and GSDI. This event brings together the FIG Working Week 2005 and GSDI-8 in Cairo, which is the home of surveying.

The technical programme of the conference includes plenary sessions with high-profile international speakers addressing topics of interest both for SDI experts and surveyors. The technical conference includes almost 40 technical sessions with different concepts offering space for almost 300 papers. In addition there will be pre-conference tutorials and workshops.

Two sub-themes have been selected in addition to the general theme. FIG is calling for presentations on surveying from pharaohs to the 21st century and GSDI-8 for paper presentations that reflect the general conference theme of the role of spatial data and spatial data infrastructures in an information society.

We invite submissions from those in government, industry, NGOs, and academia involved in the planning, development, management, application, evaluation and conceptual advancement of local, regional, national and trans-national spatial data infrastructures and surveying – covering all ten commissions of FIG.

In the interests of fostering lively debate, we encourage presentations that:

• suggest and discuss possible future technological scenarios;
• explain new technologies, programs and research initiatives;
• describe and critically assess current spatial data infrastructure initiatives, cadastral models and land administration models;
• describe existing alternative approaches or models for planning, financing and implementing initiatives in different countries or regions of the world and assess the effects of policy and technical choices in addressing cultural, social, and economic issues;
• critically examine purported best practices in terms of their policy, technological, institutional and financial approaches and their ultimate effects on economic advancement and improving quality of life;
• highlight successes and challenges to be found in case studies, data harmonization efforts, and standards efforts and cadastre and land administration;
• identify implications of various approaches for local, state, provincial, national, trans-national, and global stakeholders with a particular focus on the needs of people in developing nations;

In the following specific topics are listed as session themes. Each author must link their proposed paper to one of these themes.

1 Physical Infrastructure – Tools, Procedures etc.

1.1 Surveying from the Pharaohs – History of Surveying
1.2 Surveying and GIS in Archaeology
1.3 Affordable Housing and Upgrading of Informal Settlements
1.4 Utility Infrastructures (Including Telecommunication and Energy)
1.5 Traffic Network and Management Systems
1.6 Mobile Mapping Systems for Highway Inventory Applications
1.7 Geographical Names and Address Systems
1.8 Global Navigation Satellite System Reference Stations and Infrastructure
1.9 Engineering Surveys for Construction Works and Structural Engineering
1.10 Financing Information Technology and SDI in Developing Nations
1.11 Cost Effective Technology and Techniques for Developing Countries
1.12 Real Estate Management
1.13 Hydrography: Hydrography and Charting; Hydrography in Support of Marine Construction and Dredging; and Vertical Reference Surface for Hydrography

2 Virtual Infrastructure – Tools, Procedures, etc.

2.1 Spatial Information Management
2.2 Harmonization of SDIs – Obstacles and Solutions
2.3 Define and Produce Fundamental Geographic Data
2.4 Benefit of SDI’s Interrelations with Land Administration
2.5 Land Administration, Cadastre and Land Registries
2.6 Marine, Urban and Rural Cadastres
2.7 Government and Land (Policy, Tax, Valuation, Regulations and Compulsory Acquisition)
2.8 Efficient and Effective Authorities (e-Government / Access to Information)
2.9 Standards in Operation and Interoperability
2.10 Professional Standards: Education, Licensing and Access to Markets
2.11 Web Application Development
2.12 National Progress Reports on SDI Developments
2.13 Trends and Case Studies in Design and Implementation of Portals and Clearinghouses
2.14 Trends and Case Studies in Metadata Development
2.15 Case Studies in SDI Components (Geodetic Datum, Data Transformations, Cadastre, Planning etc.)

3 Welfare, Life Security, Social and Legal Frame

3.1 Privacy and Security in the Use of SDI (Personal / National)
3.2 Land Rights to Reduce Poverty and Informal Settlement
3.3 Risk and Disaster Management (Environmental and Economical)
3.4 Integrated Water Management
3.5 Land Use and Land Resource Management
3.6 Access to Information: Legal, Economic and Social Aspects and Policies
3.7 SDI in Poverty Eradication

4 Investing into the Future

4.1 Capacity Building, Education and Training – Trends and Case Studies
4.2 Human Resource Assets in Merging Economies
4.3 Urban and Rural Planning
4.4 Improving Technologies (Surveying, Navigation, Photogrammetry etc.)
4.5 Improving Business Approaches and Administration
4.6 Making SDI Useable and Affordable at the Grassroots Level
4.7 Multi-dimensional Information Systems (3D Cadastre)
4.8 Design and Development of GIM/GIS
4.9 New Mapping Techniques for Sustainable Development

In addition to papers being selected for standard conference presentation sessions, some papers will be selected for highlighting in "focused paper discussion sessions." In these sessions, presenters will be expected to have read the papers of the other panellists and much of the time will be spent in active discussions with the other panellists and the audience. A knowledgeable individual will be chosen to moderate the session and recommendations arising from the paper discussion session will be considered for inclusion in the final list of conference resolutions.

The number of abstracts will be limited to up to two per author.

Deadlines and submission

All abstracts should be submitted in electronic format via email to:

International Federation of Surveyors
Lindevangs Alle 4
DK-2000 Frederiksberg
Denmark
tel. + 45 3886 1081
fax + 45 3886 0252
email: fig@fig.net

Deadline for abstracts is 20 November 2004. The authors will be informed about the acceptance of their paper by 20 December 2004. Deadline for full papers is 31 January 2005.

Abstracts should be 250-500 words in length describing the objectives, results, conclusions and significance of your work. Abstracts shall be submitted in English as a Microsoft Word document. Please include at the end of your abstract all your contact details, including name, address, phone and fax numbers and email. Receipt of your abstract will be acknowledged electronically.

The final paper shall not exceed 15 pages and should include a one-page summary in English and voluntarily in one other language (e.g. French, Spanish or your mother language).